Hinge



g- 5, 1941- G. E. CURTISS, JR 2,251,482

HINGE Filed May 21, 1940 GEORGE 562/ was, 2.

Patented Aug. 5, 1941 HINGE George E. Curtiss, Jr., New Britain, Conn., as-

signor to The Stanley Works, New Britain, Conn., a, corporation of Connecticut Application May 21, 1940, Serial No. 336,382

Claims.

The present invention relates to hinges and more specifically to a hinge particularly adapted for refrigerator doors.

In accordance with the present invention, the hinge is of the unexposed type-that is, when it is applied to the refrigerator it is hidden from View. The object of the present invention is to provide such a hinge which may readily be applied to theunder frame of the refrigerator door and, when so applied, the various parts thereof readily assembled and installed.

A still further object is a hinge wherein substantially the entire weight of the swinging member is borne by the hinge and thus tendency of the swinging member to spring out of its vertical plane is substantially eliminated.

A still further object is the provision of a hinge which has its turning axis within the confines of the refrigerator door itself and yet is so constructed as to eliminate the passage of air into or out of the said door.

A still further object is the provision of a hinge having relatively few parts, all of which may be easily and economically manufactured and, when assembled, are of an extremely durable nature.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements,

and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a view of a hinge embodying the invention herein and shown in mounted position on a refrigerator;

Fig. 2 is a view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the hinge sleeve member;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the hinge pivot cap; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the hinge pivotv pin and supporting bracket therefor.

Referring to the drawing, there is fragmentarily shown the front face H! of a refrigerator cabinet and the lower corner of a door l2. Further details have been omitted as they are not essential to an understanding of the invention herein.

In accordance with the invention herein the hinge structure comprises generally a vertically arranged sleeve M in the door 12, a pivot cap I6 within the sleeve 14, a pivot pin I8 receivable within the cap 16 and supported by the refrigerator face I0, and a ball bearing 20 supported on the upper end of the pivot pin 18 and underlying the cap 16. For convenience in manufacture and ease of installation, the sleeve [4 is integral with a. supporting bracket 22 (see Fig. 4) consisting of a metal stamping shaped to provide vertical face plates 24 and 26 arranged at right angles to one another and a base plate 28' extending at right angles to the lower edge of the face plate 24 and underlying the lower edge of the face plate 26. As indicated, the upper portion of the face plate 26 is cut away and the lower portion rolled inwardly upon itself to provide the vertical sleeve I4 and locate same in alignment with a base plate opening 30.

When the bracket is so secured, it may readily be positioned in the door with the sleeve M in alignment with an opening 32 in the bottom door frame member 34, and the bracket is then secured as by spot welding the face plate 24 to the rear door frame member 35. In this manner the sleeve M in effect becomes an integral part of the door 12 and is adapted to receive the pivoting cap 16 which may be readily inserted therein from the exterior of the door and, when so inserted, also functions as a closure for the sleeve opening.

To accomplish this, the cap 16 comprises a tubular portion 38 having a closed domed upper end 40 and an open mouth or lower end 42, and having a circumferential flange 44 extending radially therefrom. The outside diameter of the cap tubular portion 38 is such that it. makes a tight frictional fit within the sleeve 14, and, when forced into position, will thereafter rotate with the sleeve as a unit. As the cap is maintained positioned only by a frictional fit, it may also be forced out if it is found necessary to replace same. When the cap 16 is forced into. position within the sleeve, the flange 44 limits the inward travel thereof and also permits the positioning of a compressible gasket 46 between the flange and the lower frame member of the door; the gasket completely sealing the opening and preventing air leakage into and out ofthe door.

With the cap so positioned, the door may be mounted on the pin I8, and to permit free rotation when so mounted, the inside diameter of the cap I6 is slightly larger than that of the pin l8. In the embodiment illustrated, the top of the pin is hollowed to provide a socket 4B in which there is seated a ball bearing 29, and the domed end of the cap is made hemispherical to enable it to rest directly on the bearing. In this manner, not only is a free swinging of the door obtained, but inasmuch as the hinge structure is positioned in the bottom of the door the downward thrust due to the weight of same is directly received thereon, and the tendency of the door to spring out of its vertical plane is eliminated. If desired, the ball bearing 20 may be secured within the cap by indents 49 struck inwardly from the cap tubular portion 38, thus preventing loss of same during assemblage.

The pivot pin I8 may be secured to the face of the refrigerator in any suitable manner; the one shown being non-rotatably fixed as by spot welding it to the horizontal leg of a right angle bracket 52, the vertical leg of which is secured to the face or the refrigerator cabinet By so constructing the hinge, a still further advantage may be obtained by manufacturing the cap I6 of a non-ferrous metal and thus maintaining the metal of the sleeve l4 and the pin [8 out of direct contact. By doing this, rusting of the parts due to sweating or other conditions is eliminated and the finish of the refrigerator will not become impaired; It is likewise apparent that after the pivot pin [8 is properly secured to the front of the refrigerator the door may readily be assembled by simply sliding same over the pin, and, when so assembled, the hinge structure, except for the lower portion of the pin and the pin supporting bracket 52, i completely hidden. Inasmuch as most refrigerators also have a front cover plate below the door 12, the exposed portions of the hinge pin and bracket may also be readily covered by the cover, and thus the entire hinge structure is hidden from view.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this inveniton could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. A hinge for a refrigerator door having a bottom frame member, a vertically arranged sleeve secured within the door in alignment with an opening in the bottom frame member, a tubular cap positioned in said sleeve and frictionally engaging same, the top of said capbeing domed and the lower end open, a circumferential flange extending radially outwardly from the open end of said cap and positioned beneath said bottom door frame member, a compressible gasket positioned between said flange and the bottom frame member to seal the opening in said frame member, a pivot pin receivable with.-

in said cap member, and a ball bearing positioned between the upper end of the pin and the dome of said cap member.

2. A hinge for a refrigerator door including a vertical sleeve secured therein in alignment with an opening provided in the bottom of the door, a tubular pivot cap insertable within said door and having an internally domed upper end and a circumferential flange extending radially from its open lower end and positioned exterior of the door and abutting against the bottom thereof, a pivot pin securable exterior of the door and extending into said tubular cap member, said pivot pin having a socket in its upper end, and a ball bearing located in the socket and beneath the dome for sup-porting the door thereon.

3. A hinge for a refrigerator door including a vertical sleeve secured therein in alignment with an opening provided in the bottom of the door, a tubular pivot cap insertable within said door and having a domed upper end and a circumferential flange extending radially from its open lower end and positioned exterior of the door and abutting against the bottom thereof, a pivot pin securable exterior of the door and extending and positioned in said tubular cap member, said sleeve and pivot pin being of ferrous metal and said cap member being of a non-ferrous metal whereby said ferrous metals will be maintained out 'of contact with one another.

4. A hinge of the character described comprising a vertical sleeve securable within a swinging door intermediate the front and rear walls and adjacent one edge thereof, a tubular pivot cap frictionally held within the sleeve and adapted to extend outwardly of the lower edge of the door, the top of said cap having an internal supporting dome and the lower end having a flange for carrying the door thereon, a vertically arranged pivot pin positioned in said cap and securable to a fixed door jamb, the upper end of the pivot pin having a socket therein and a ball bearing positioned in said socket for supporting the domed end of said tubular cap.

5. A hinge of the character described comprising a vertical sleeve securable within a swinging door and providing an opening having a mouth at the lower edge of the door, a tubular pivot cap receivable within the sleeve and frictionally engaging same, the top of said cap being domed and the lower end open, a circumferential flange extending radially outwardly from said pivot cap at the lower end thereof and engageable with the lower edge of the door to limit the movement of the cap into the sleeve, a pivot pin securable to a fixed part and positioned in said cap, the upper end of said pivot pin having a socket therein, a ball bearing positioned in said socket beneath the domed top of said cap and rotatably retained thereat by a suitable internal indent in the cap, and a compressible gasket positioned between the circumferential flange of the cap and the swing- I ing door.

GEORGE E. CURTISS, JR. 

